Circuit closing device for series sets



y 1933. H. F. WITHERHEAD ET AL 1,912,236

. CIRCUIT CLOSING DEVICE FOR SERIES SETS Filed Jan. 10, 1929 J $18 ZY Mg VK' i i/aid Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES HOWARD r. WITI-IERHEAD, on

PATENT OFFICE CIRCUIT CLOSING DEVICE FOR'SERIES SETS Application filed January 10, 1929. Serial No.- 331,638.

This invention relates to a means by which to locate a defective lamp in an electric lighting set that is in such a set for instance as is commonly used for Christmas tree illumination and the like and an object of the invention is to provide means which may be incorporated into or attached to the set by whicha defective lamp may be quickly and easily located.

A more detailed object is to provide means whereby when all of the lamps of a series set have become extinguished due to the failme of that portion of the circuit comprising one thereof all of the lamps excepting the defective one may be readily illuminated and thus cause the detective one to be made apparent.

A further detailed object is to provide a set comprising a plurality of lamps connected in series and to provide means manually operable to bridge the circuit of said lamps respectively so that the circuit of a defective lamp thus bridged will result in completion of the circuit for all of the other lamps.

A further detailed object is to provide a single switch device at one point in the set operable to bridge the circuit of the lamps respectively.

A further detailed object is to provide a plurality of separate switch devices which may be connected with the lamps respectively each independently manually operable to bridge the circuit of its respective lamp.

A further object is to provide a lamp socket adapted for use in series sets said sockets comprising manually operable means by which the circuit therethrough may be bridged at will.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing which is to be taken as a part of this specification, and

in which we have shown merely a preferred form of embodiment of the invention 2 i Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a series set constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a separately formed and attachable switch device such as may be connected one with'each of the lamps of the set.

Fig. 3'is a sectional view taken upon the plane of line III-III of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a'central sectional view through a lamp socket constructed in accordance with this invention. I I,

Referring'to the drawing for describing in detail the structure therein illustrated. the reference character L indicates anordi'nary screw plug which is adapted to be'engaged within any standard type of wall receptacle for receiving therefrom a supply of electric current in a manner common to sets of the kind here concerned. I

The reference characters 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 indicate a plurality of lamps which engage within sockets 16 in the. usual manner.

The reference character G indicates a switch mechanism having a movable contact member H pivoted therein as at 17.

From the plug L a conductor 18 extends through the switch G to the socket of the lamp 15, having a connection as 19 with contact terminal 20 oftheswitch Gr. From lamp 15a conductor 21' extends again into the switch G, being connected with contact terminal 22 thereof From conductor 21 a branch conductor 23 leads to the socket 16 of lamp" 14. Return conductor 24: from lamp let extends to contact 25 of the switch G. j From conductor 24 a branch conductor 26 leads to the socket 16 of lamp 13. Return conductor 27 from lamp 13 extends to contact 28 of the switch G.

From the plug L a conductor 29 extends into connection with contact 30 of the switch G.

From conductor 29 a branch conductor 31 leads to the socket 16 of lamp 10. Return conductor 32 from lamp 10 extends to contact 33 of the switch G. v

From conductor 32 a branch conductor 34 leads to the socket 16 of lamp 11. Return conductor 35 from lamp 11 extends to contact 36 of the switch G.

From conductor 35 a branch conductor 37 leads to the socket 16 of lamp 12. Return conductor 38 from lamp 12 extends to contact 28 of the switch G.

The movable contact H is adapted to move about its pivot 17 along the several stationary contacts 20, 22, 25, 28, 36, 33 and 30 and is of such construction as to be capable of bridging any two adjacent of these contacts as it moves. Suflicient space'as at 39 and 40 is provided beyond the opposite end contacts 20 and 30 so that in either of its ex.- treme positions the movable contact will engage only a single stationary contact.

The operation of the device shown may now be understood as follows:

Supposing the set to be in use and the movable contact H to be standing in its extreme position space 39, the circuit for the lamps will extend'from plug L along conductor 18 to lamp 15, thence by conductors 21and 23 through lamp 14, thence by conductors 24 and 26 through lamp 13, thence by conductors 27 and 38'through lamp 12, thence by conductors 37 and 35 through lamp 11, thence by conductors 34 and 32 through lamp 10, thence by conductors 31 and 29 back to the plug. The several lamps will thus be connected forseries operation, and of course a failure of any one lamp, as by removal or loosening of the lamp in its socket, or by burning out of the lamp, will break the circuit and all of the lamps will become extinguished. I

Suppose now for example the lamp numbered 14 fails so that the circuit is broken at said lamp and all of the lamps are extinguished, the operator has merely to move the contact H slowly toward its opposite extreme. lVhen it reaches the position as shown in the drawing, bridging the stationary contacts 22 and 25 the circuit will be closed thereby between said stationary contacts, and hence betweenthe two conductors 23 and 24 of said lamp 14 so that the circuit Will thereby be completed for all of the other lamps as follows: Along conductor 18 through lamp 15, conductor-21 to stationary contact 22, through the movable contact H to stationary contact 25, thence along conductor 24 to conductor 26, thence through lamp 13 and conductors 27 and 38 to lamp 12, etc. as before back to the plug.

Lamp 14 will remain extinguished but the illumination of all of the other lamps will render the lamp 14 conspicuous by its nonilluminated condition, thus positively indicating to the operator the location of the defective lamp.

The movable contact H may nowbe returned to one of its extremes and the necessary repairs or renewal made at lamp 14.

If the lamp 10 had been the defective lamp all of the others would have become illuminated when the contact H moved to its first position, that is bridging the stationary contacts 30 and 33.

If the lamp 11 had been the defective lamp all of the others would have become illuminated when the contact H moved to its second position, that is bridging the stationary contacts 33'and 36.

If the lamp 12 had been the defective lamp all of the others would have become illuminated when the contact H moved to its third position, that is bridging the sta tionary contacts 36 and 38.

If the lamp 13 had been the defective lamp all of the others would have become illuminated when the contact H moved to its fourth position, that is bridging the stationary contacts 38 and 25. I

If the lamp 15 had been the defective lamp all of the others would be illuminated when the contact H moved to its sixth position, that isflbridging the stationary contacts 32 and 30.

It will be seen'thus that the different positions of the movable contact H correspond to the different lamps in the set and that hence the location of the defective lamp may be definitely determined by an operator simply by noting the position of the movable contact at the moment when the other lamps become illuminated.

By indicating these several positions by coresponding numerals as indicated 1 to 6 in the drawing these different positions may be definitely identified.

It will be understood of course that those portions of the several conductors which are shown as parallel with the through conductor 18 may be considered as a main cable, with the pairs of conductors for the respective lamps branching out at suitable intervals along the length of the cable the positions of the respective lamps being designated by the numerals 1 to 6 on the switch G as above referred to, and it is noteworthy that by locating the switch Gr intermediate the opposite ends of this cable, and par ticularly by locating it between opposite groups of the lamps, as shown, the number of conductors required in the main cable, for any given number of lamps, is practically halved. Also that this location of the switch is desirable particularly where the set is in use for Christmas tree ornamentation since in this use the switch is thus enabled to occupy a position about half provide circuit closing means at or adjacent to the respective lamps, as for instance in cases where the main cable is not in an accessible position. For this reason it is proposed that a plurality of separately formed circuit closing devices may be provided adapted for attachment to the two cables leading into the lamps respectively, or that a circuit closing device may be incorporated into the structure of the lamp sockets employed.

A simple form of circuit closing device for attachment to the conductors adjacent the lamps is illustrated in Fig. 2 and 3. This device consists of a body member 41 of insulatingmaterial carrying two contacts as 42 and 43. These contacts are in the form of pointed pins havin heads at one side of the body but having their pointed ends protruding through the opposite side spaced apart and adapted to be impaled a into the conductors as 23-24 so that they make metallic contact with the metallic core of said conductors. A metallic clamp member as iel engages about this body and about the conductors so as to hold the conductors against displacement, one end of said clamp member being extended so as to constitute resilient circuit closing blade as 45 overlying the contacts 42-43 and adapted to be pressed down by an operators finger for bridging across said contacts whenever desired.

A simple form of circuit closing device for inclusion within the structure of the lamp sockets is illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein it will be seen that a resilient circuit closing blade 46 is shown as being connected by one end with the metallic screw sleeve of the socket, the opposite end of said blade being adapted to be moved, by pressure of an operators finger against the button 48, so as to engage the central terminal 49 of the socket for thus bridging across the conductors 23 and 24.

In using the devices Figs. 2?) or 4 the operator, in order to locate a defective lamp moves along from one lamp to the other simply pressing down the circuit closing blade of each lamp successively. When the presses down the blade of the defective lamp and thus bridges the circuit of said lamp the circuit for all of the other lamps will be thereby closed so that they will become illuminated and thus constitute a. signal to the operator showing the location of the defective lamp as before.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in thefollowing claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. As an article of manufacture, a circuitclosing device intended to be made up as an entity and mounted upon the two insulated conductor wires of a lamp in a series set to be operable for bridging said lamp, said circuit closing device being separate from the set and comprising, a body of insulating material, a clamp member carried by said body arranged to clamp said two conductor wires between itself and one side of the body to thereby fix the circuit closing device upon said wires at any selected point along the length of said wires, a pair of separate metallic contacts carried in insulated relation by said body, said contacts having portions at said side of the body for electrical connection with the conductor wires respectively and having other portions disposed at the opposite side of the body, and a movable contact also carried by the body movable at will to electrically connect the last mentioned portions of said first contacts but normally standing out of connecting position.

2. As an article of manufacture, a circuit closing device intended to be made up as an entity and mounted upon the two insulated conductor wires of a lamp in a series set to be operable for bridging said lamp, said circuit closing device being separate from the set and comprising, a body of insulating material, a clamp member carried by said body arranged to clamp said body upon said two conductor wires at any selected point along the length of said wires, :1 pair of separate metallic contacts carried in insulated relation by said body, said contacts having penetrating points formed thereon projecting beyond the surface of the body adapted to be held by said clamp member in position penetrating the insulating cover of the wires into electrical connection with the metallic cores of 'the'wires respectively, and said clamp member having a spring part of itself extending to constitute a spring contact movable at will to electrically connect said first two contacts but normally standing out of connecting position.

In testimony whereof we afliX our signatures.

HOWARD F. WITHERHEAD. LEVIN G. HANDY. 

